Worship

Who are you?

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Let me start with a really important question. Are you one of the people who have been glued to the “X-Factor” on Saturday nights over the last few months – or are you a devotee of “Strictly Come Dancing”? In our house it has definitely been “Strictly” that has won the battle of the ratings war – even if not all of us have been watching it quite as avidly as some of the others!

One difference between the two is that “Strictly” is about people who are already famous in one way or another – whereas “X-Factor” is about people who want to become famous. They are both about celebrity – but one is about “wannabes” whereas the other is about people who have made it already – or in some cases (especially on “Strictly”) people who made it quite some time ago!

Either way a big part of the attraction is about seeing who’s in and who’s out. It can be nail-biting stuff as we wait to see who will stay in and who will be voted out – and there are tears of joy and of disappointment in equal measure every week. Certainly for those on “X-factor” the primary motivation is wanting to make it big – wanting to be somebody. Thousands upon thousands of hopefuls queue for hours at venues up and down the country – only to be disappointed as the judges pan their performances and send them packing, their dreams shattered.

This cult of celebrity is incredibly powerful and it seems at times to be driving the ambitions of a whole generation of young people. Ask them what they want to do when they grow up and they will tell you, “I want to be famous”. Not I want to be a brain-surgeon or an astronaut or whatever – no, just that they want to be a celebrity – they want to be famous – as if somehow that is a sufficient goal in itself.

The problem underlying this attitude is to do with identity. It’s about who we are and where we derive our sense of value in life. And this is not just something that affects the entrants to contests like “X-Factor”. No, this is a real issue for countless people today who don’t really have any idea who they are or what they are living for. They are desperately seeking something – but they don’t know what – and so they spend their lives clutching at straws in the wind or trying to win the Lottery!

John the Baptist, about whom we read a few minutes ago, was also a public performer, drawing the crowds – just like the contestants on X-Factor would like to be – but he seems to have none of these insecurities and self-doubts – at least at this stage of his life. And there were a number of key things that underlay John’s inner security.

The first is that John had a clear sense of who he was not. Now that may seem a strange thing to say, but it’s actually very important. The people of Jerusalem sent their equivalent of the press pack (the priests and the Levites) to ask John who he was. They had all sorts of ideas – expectations – about who he might be: “Are you the Christ? Are you Elijah? Are you the Prophet?” They wanted to know if he would fulfil their expectations – if he would fit into one or other of the categories and roles that they were comfortable with. As the Christ – the promised deliverer who would set them free from Roman occupation – or as Elijah, who would overthrow their pagan rulers and restore Israel’s religious purity. But John refused. He was not willing to fall in with their expectations of who he should be and of what he should do.

And that is an incredibly liberating thing to be able to do: namely to know who we are not, so that we can resist the expectations of others and get on with being the person that we are meant to be. For anyone in public life or in any position of leadership, this is crucially important – not least for the clergy (including bishops)! The expectations of other people can be crippling – if we do not have the inner strength to be the people we are made to be. If we are to avoid being blown around by the expectations of other people, we need to be sure who we are not – and most of all that we are not some kind of a Messiah, able to solve everyone’s problems. Because that will help us to focus on who we are and on what we really should be doing with our lives.

And that’s what John the Baptist was able to do. He had a clear sense of who he was and of what he was being called by God to do. “I am the voice of one crying in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord’.” John knew what part he had to play in God’s purposes – and he got on and did it. John had a clear sense of the part that God wanted him to play in his purposes. That’s what enabled him to live with integrity – because he had a clear focus at the centre of his life around which everything else fell into place. What a contrast with so many people today who spend their lives desperately seeking something that is always just beyond their grasp.

Now, speaking especially to those who are being confirmed and renewing their vows today – but also to all of us here: Do you have a clear sense of who you are and of what you are called to do in life? Because if we don’t then we will just be blown around by the expectations of others – friends, family, employers, whoever – and the great danger is that we may end up missing the real priorities for which we should be striving. We may end up looking back at the end of our life and asking – “what was all that for?” Each of us is called by God to be the person he made us to be and to fulfil our part within his purposes. And there are a hundred and one other things that we could be – maybe that other people want us to be – that will somehow or other miss the mark. Whatever stage of life you’re at, do you have a sense of who God is calling you to be and of how he is calling you to share in his purposes?

As Christians, each of us is called to play a part in some way or other in the life of God’s kingdom. In particular, all of us are called to share in the work that John the Baptist began – namely of preparing the way for Jesus Christ and of pointing people to him – both with our words and by the kind of life that we lead. That means living a life that may be out of step with the world, because it is shaped by a different set of values. John the Baptist was prepared to be different – but are we?

More specifically, each of us is called to serve God both in the Church and in the places where we live and spend our time each and every day. Being a Christian can never just be about sitting in the pew – or standing up at the front of church for that matter! It has to be about making a difference to the people around us by the way we live – blessing and enriching their lives because they have seen and experienced the love of Christ through us.

So let me leave you with three questions:

Do you know who you are not – or are you in danger of being blown around by the expectations of the people around you?

Do you know who you are – do you have a clear sense of who God is calling you to be and of what he is calling you to do with your life?

And most importantly of all:

How are you going to live so that you are a blessing to those around you – above all by bringing the love of Christ into their lives?

Sundays

Early Eucharist Service: 9.00am

This is a said service (approx 45 mins) in traditional language which takes place in the Holdsworth Chapel. The service includes prayers of confession and praise, listening to the bible readings set for the day, hearing a sermon from the presiding minister, and sharing in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The congregation use the Book of Common Prayer.

Main Eucharist Service: 10.30am

This is a traditional Eucharist service in modern language with accompaniment from organist and choir which takes place in the main body of the church (approx 1hr 30 mins). The service includes prayers of confession and praise, hearing God’s word spoken and sung, listening to a sermon, offering prayers of intercession for the church, the world and ourselves and sharing in the sacrament of the Eucharist. During term time there are also ‘Children’s Church’ sessions which follow the seasons and themes of the main service. Please go to the Children’s Church pages for further details. The congregation are provided with service booklets which contain seasonal material appropriate to the church’s year or to particular festivals being celebrated.

Evensong: 4.00pm

This is a quiet, contemplative service which is mostly sung and in traditional language (approx 50 mins). The presiding minister leads the service, singing the responses and prayers for the day.

For full details of all services, and all other services and events, please go to the Home Page and select the ‘Events’ tab, then click on the day you are interested in. All special services will also appear in the Events highlighted on the page - click through the pages to find what you are looking for.

Other Sunday Evening Services

There are a range of other services happening throughout the year on Sunday evenings, such as the Advent Carol Service. Please go to the Home Page and select the ‘Events’ tab. You can change month by scrolling down to the bottom of each month and clicking on ‘Next Month’.

Weekdays

Morning Prayer: Monday-Friday at 9.00am

This is a short (approx 20 mins) spoken service, in modern language, which includes saying canticles of praise and psalms, listening to the bible readings set for the day, and saying prayers of intercessions for the church, the world and ourselves. These services may be led by the clergy team or lay people.

Daily Eucharist: Monday-Friday at 12.30pm

This is a simple spoken service (approx 30 mins) in modern language, which includes prayers of confession and praise, listening to the bible readings set for the day, saying prayers of intercession and sharing in the sacrament of the Eucharist.

Evening Prayer: Monday-Friday at 4.00pm

This is a short (approx 20 mins) spoken service, in modern language, which includes saying canticles of praise and psalms, listening to the bible readings set for the day, and saying prayers of intercessions for the church, the world and ourselves. These services may be led by the clergy team or lay assistants.

Public Sector Service: 3rd Wednesday of the month at 12:30pm

This service is intended for Christians in the public sector and all those in public service. We alternate between a Eucharist and a reflective service. Both take around 30 minutes and are followed by a free lunch - just enough time to get away from the busy-ness of the office for peace and prayer!

Our Christian Journey

Here at the Minster each year we have an “Initiation Sunday” on the first Sunday in November – which is the culmination of several weeks of preparation by groups of all ages and backgrounds within the church. The service acknowledges that whoever we are, whether our faith is new or old, deep or doubting, whether we are young or rich in experience, we need to mark the steps on our journey with God as individuals and as a community. When we do this together we experience something powerful of God’s movement in the world through his church and through each of us, and we affirm our commitment to lifelong learning as Christians.

If you feel any of these journeys are right for you, please have a word with one of the clergy.

The service contains four elements:

Baptism:

Baptism comes directly from scripture. We know that Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan by John the Baptist, and the letters written to the early church following the Gospels in the New Testament record whole families being baptized, adults and children together. In scripture there is no mention of any other rite of passage associated with membership of the church – baptism was the only and full rite of passage. At the Minster we welcome all people to be baptised; infants, children and adults. (Wherever possible adults will go on to be confirmed on the same day).

While baptism marks the entry point into the church and the life of the worshipping community, we acknowledge too that faith is a process and not a one off event or experience. To become a disciple, means literally ‘one who learns’, and for the baptized it is a commitment to lifelong learning. If you have joined our worshipping community or live within the area of the Minster’s parish you may be baptised here. As part of baptism for you or your family you will be welcomed into the Minster community, you will be visited by a member of the clergy team, you will be invited to a rehearsal for your baptism service, and also invited back to future events at the Minster. A baptism may take place as part of the Initiation service in November or on one of the other Sundays through the year set aside for this purpose. Please speak to any member of the clergy team for more information.

Initiation

Here at the Minster along with many other parishes in the Church of England, and some churches of other denominations, we have introduced Initiation – which is admission to communion before confirmation for children and young people between the ages of 7 and 16. We recognise that biblically Jesus never made any pre-conditions to sharing in the Lord’s Supper, and neither did the early church. Many practitioners who work with children and young people are aware of the deep spirituality that some children possess, and that to receive the sacrament is more about an experience of Jesus rather than knowledge of God and of the Trinity.

A course of preparation begins each September to share teaching about Jesus, creation, the church, the Holy Trinity, prayer and commitment and of course the Eucharist itself with those wishing to be admitted to communion. If you or a member of your family would like to take part in the course and be initiated into Holy Communion at the November service, please speak to a member of the clergy team.

Confirmation

Confirmation can be viewed in two ways – as an opportunity for individuals who were baptized as infants to make the promises made on their behalf for themselves, or as an opportunity for adults whose faith is new to them or newly deepened to affirm that step, and in each case for the gifts of the spirit to be evoked by the bishop upon them. At the Minster confirmation is encouraged for those over 16, following an appropriate course of preparation for both enquirers of the faith and for those who have already been admitted to communion before confirmation. Beginning in September each year and leading up to the November service, the course looks at the same subject areas as the initiation course for young people. Historically confirmation has been seen as a passing out parade, the point after which young people’s attendance at church drops off. At the Minster we encourage it to be viewed as another important step along the way, and a continuing of that commitment to lifelong learning and discipleship which begins when we come to faith in baptism.

Re-affirmation of Baptism Vows

This is an opportunity for those who may have been baptised or confirmed long ago – or who feel that in recent times their relationship with God has changed or deepened – to mark another step on their pilgrim journey. Sometimes those who were confirmed as children relish the opportunity to take vows as adults which reflect their growth in faith and the developing relationship with God which has strengthened or been rediscovered in adulthood. These candidates also participate in a course of preparation, side by side with those adults preparing for Confirmation, which provides a great opportunity for the sharing of experience and inspiration. It is also inspiring for our young people to share in the willingness of those of all generations to affirm their faith side by side with them as they make their own declarations of faith. It is a joyful, visible sign of God’s presence with all people at all stages of life.